just starting all over again
by Yunsa
Summary: When Ye Xiu said he had the most experience out of everyone in the pro-league, he didn't think too much of it at first. But now? He'll give you a look full of regret if anyone asked him that again. Your friend, rookie Ye Xiu is online!
1. Chapter 1

"Here we have Rookie Ye Xiu from Team Happy! Who would you like to challenge today?"

Four championships, glory textbook, master tactician, 37 record wins in a row, Ye Xiu, stood in the center of the blinding lights and was honestly dumbfounded.

What the fuck? He swore he was at a celebration party because the China Glory team had just won the world championships.

The last thing he remembered was drinking a sip of wine.

"…"

Why was he at the All-Stars weekend event instead?! Not to mention a rookie? Him?!

"Ye Xiu?" The host waved his hand in front of the rookie. "It seems like our new competitor is a bit nervous today!"

"I…" Ye Xiu concluded that this must be a dream. So, he'll go along with this farce for now. "I'll challenge…" Ye Xiu's gaze swept across the pro-players. His eyes widen in shock when he came across someone who was not supposed to be there.

Su Muqiu was here?! But the person sitting beside him…Ye Qiu? Why was his twin brother sitting there?

"Su Muqiu..." Ye Xiu answered with disbelief. Even if this was a dream, he wouldn't lose this chance.

"Come on up, God Su! This rookie is ambitious, challenging the god of gunners!" The host excitedly announced to the crowd.

Ye Xiu was still shocked silent. There weren't many things that could do this to him, but this was just too illogical. Does wine have the property of causing someone to wake up in another reality?!

"Hello there, I hope we have a nice match." God Su greeted Ye Xiu cheerfully.

"Haha…yes I hope so too." Ye Xiu tried to form a smile but it came off as a grimace.

Su Muqiu noticed that and was curious as to what this rookie had against him. But whatever, it didn't matter. He wanted to get this event over with already.

Ye Xiu thought nothing could get any worse but it really did…when he searched for his account card.

 **Unrivaled Super Hottie**

In that very moment, Ye Xiu believed that karma was getting back at him because he had been too shameless. He had no tears left and sighed helplessly when he logged his character in.

The audience burst into laughter when they saw the username that this rookie was using. What an incredible naming sense!

However, the pro-players in Happy were confused. Why was Ye Xiu using this account to fight the gunner god?!

Meanwhile, Ye Xiu realized that he wasn't in his old-worn out body anymore. His hand-speed and flexibility was at its peak. He hadn't felt this way in a very long time.

Su Muqiu, let's see how far you've come.

Even with a Knight, Ye Xiu fought very well. Everyone in the audience was amazed with the fight. Blows were exchanged and the rookie was skilled in using the Knight's provoke skills to lead the match's pace.

But this was a class that Ye Xiu hadn't been using professionally so he couldn't utilize the class to it's maximum potential. He had lost in the end but it was a very close match.

3% blood, that was the difference between them for this match. Ye Xiu's eyes narrowed in thought when he considered the implications of this.

The audience cheered with such force which Ye Xiu wasn't used to. He was accustomed to the jeers and boos because of his tendency to be blunt and honest.

When they came back to the stage, the host kept praising Ye Xiu and he could only stand there and accept it.

"You're amazing!" Su Muqiu came up to him, "I can't wait to see your progress, you'll be a terrifying player in the pro-league."

"Haha…thank you, senior." Ye Xiu felt the words were extremely uncomfortable to say. How can this person be his senior?!

Su Muqiu kept talking to him even as they left the stage and Ye Xiu was quickly realizing that this wasn't a dream. He could feel the pressure and heat from the crowd.

"Happy's sure gotten an amazing rookie this year! I'll be looking forward to our next match."

Ye Xiu didn't have the heart to say that this wasn't the class he usually played. So he looked up and smiled at the other.

What he didn't know was that Su Muqiu wasn't ready for this, "A-Ah, well I have to go back now." The other scratched his cheek bashfully before leaving.

The old battle god was oblivious to this, so he waved to the other and left to go back to Happy's seats.

"Holy shit! I didn't know you can play this good as a knight!" Chen Guo yelled out and slapped Ye Xiu's back.

"Mm…thanks boss." Ye Xiu used his hands to soothe his back from the pain.

"Why didn't you show this type of play-style during practice?" Wei Chen happily added another slap to the back.

Ye Xiu threw a glare and ignored him. He sat back down and observed the crowd. This really was his reality right now. He wasn't sure why this happened but somehow, he was thrown into a parallel universe with a younger body.

But one thing he knew for sure was that he'll never drink wine ever again.


	2. Chapter 2

All-Star Weekend, the event where fans can see their favorite gods up close. An event that was loved by fans and acknowledged by the pro-players. Rookies were in high spirits to show their worth to the crowd. Though, there's always an exception.

Rookie Ye Xiu was currently in the stage of denial. When was the captain of Happy, Qiu Fei? Why was Sun Zheping sitting beside him? Where's your injury Lao Sun? Go back to Hundred Blossoms if you're healed, they need you more. This rookie couldn't help throwing retorts because that was the sole thing keeping him sane at this point.

He wasn't surprised to see Su Mucheng missing though. He glanced towards Excellent Era's seats and saw the three of them chatting together. He felt a myriad of emotions when he saw Ye Qiu in his place. There were many questions he wanted to ask but couldn't.

But it didn't matter in the end. As long as Su Muqiu was alive and well, then that was good enough.

It didn't matter if he was forgotten.

Su Muqiu and Mucheng's happiness was worth more than anything to him.

"Xiao Xiu, don't feel too bad about the loss! You did great." A gentle voice spoke behind him.

"…" Who the hell was Xiao Xiu?

Qiao Yifan…? Ye Xiu was sure that Yifan was a young boy struggling to find his own path to Glory.

Who was this handsome man?! He looked to be in his early twenties and his childish features had already faded away.

"I'm not, don't worry about it." Ye Xiu answered calmly despite his inner turmoil. Yifan smiled and went back to watching the events.

The so-called rookie began searching his pockets for something that could answer his questions. He ended up finding his ID card and stared at it blankly. He was 18 here.

 _…Won't be bored of Glory for another ten years._

Ye Xiu chuckled, this sure was interesting. It really didn't matter where he played Glory in the end.

"What's so funny?" Sun Zheping asked.

"Huh? No, it's nothing. I'm just thinking about life and the meaning of existence." Ye Xiu answered seriously.

"You?" Sun Zheping looked confused. "Are you okay? If you're feeling unwell then go back to the hotel.

"I'm fine thank you…" Ye Xiu wasn't pleased but then he paused, "Actually, I'll go back to the hotel. Tell the others for me!"

An offer to escape this dreadful event, why wouldn't he take it?! Before anyone could stop him Ye Xiu had quickly ran.

"What happened?" Fang Rui came up to Sun Zheping with his gaze lingering at the exit.

"I have no idea. He seemed a bit off, but it shouldn't be because he lost." Sun Zheping said.

"Okay, I'll go check up on him." Fang Rui offered, "He is our upcoming star after all."

"I'll go get him!" Steamed Bun stood up and ran for the exit.

"Fang Rui, Steamed Bun! You're staying, get the hell back here." Chen Guo stopped the two before they could go. "We're hosting the next event."

The others in Happy laughed. This was an everyday occurrence.

"Ye Xiu isn't a kid anymore. He'll be fine." Wei Chen sighed, he really didn't understand what the big fuss was.

* * *

Ye Xiu was not fine.

He had been standing in front of a mirror for the longest time.

"Who the hell is this?!"

This was too much. His body wasn't just younger! He was a completely different person. His looks were at the level of Zhou Zekai. Ye Xiu's hair was now tied back loosely but thankfully his eyes were still the same shade of gold. His face was no longer puffy from the lack of exercise but was quite attractive now. Well, he was thankful that his name and hand speed were still the same at the very least.

"Laptop, I need a laptop." Ye Xiu wandered into the room absentmindedly. He wasn't going to survive if he kept reacting to everything.

Nothing could bother him anymore, not even Ye Qiu's face being plastered on the Glory homepage along with Su Muqiu.

Ye Xiu wearily searched for information about this world.

Happy was team formed quite a while ago. But the only difference was that they had recently won the ninth's season championship. The team was now entering the tenth season this year. Otherwise, most things appeared to be the same for records and achievements.

Everyone's ages were the same except for a few players in Happy. Qiao Yifan and Qiu Fei were both 20 years old now. To his surprise, Sun Zheping had joined the team after a miraculous recovery, but the reasons weren't stated in the article. No one knew exactly why he had joined Happy and the fans in Hundred Blossoms felt betrayed. Zhang Jiale declined to respond and only wished Lao Sun to have a successful career at Happy.

As for how Su Muqiu and Ye Qiu, they seemed to have joined Excellent Era during the first season. There wasn't much information as to how this came about.

One Autumn Leaf and Qiu Mu Su...they were finally together on the big stage.

He should feel happy about this. Ye Xiu stood up and stretched.

Yes, he should be content with this.

Nonetheless, Ye Xiu was glad to have some stability in this world. Maybe things weren't as bad as it seemed.

* * *

The first day of the All-Star Weekend had concluded and the pro-players were chatting among themselves.

"Hey, where's your rookie at? Lao Su, you almost lost to him too! I know you were playing seriously so don't give me an excuse okay? But seriously, I wanted to talk to Xiao Ye and have a match. Oh yeah, where did you find him in the first place?" Huang Shaotian was busy chatting up everyone.

Su Muqiu replied with, "Haha..." and went back to talking with Ye Qiu.

"You'll see! He's our trump card and don't you dare try and snatch him. He won't fall for it." Fang Rui was already annoyed to death by this chatterbox.

"Are you just insecure? You guys are a newer team after all. Well I'll acknowledge your team has some strength, but we'll win next time!"

Chen Guo looked at the two and shook her head. She once felt that these gods were beyond her reach. But now? What gods?! They were kids bickering back and forth.

"Well, I'll tell you a secret then just to scare you all! Ye Xiu's main class isn't even a knight." Fang Rui smirked as he proudly announced to everyone there.

But what he got was a slap to the back of his head from Wei Chen. "You useless dim sum, what are you doing revealing our team secrets?!"

"What team secrets?! Ye Xiu just picked up the wrong account card."

"Okay, I think you two have done enough damage. Look at Huang Shaotian, he's shocked silent already." Chen Guo came between the two and pushed them away.

"Oh! I was wondering why Little Boss didn't use his usual account." Steamed Bun nodded as if he understood everything.

"What account?" Yu Wenzhou took this chance to pry for more info.

Luo Ji covered Steamed Bun's mouth with his hand and awkwardly chuckled. "That'll be a surprise for this season." They might as well not reveal anything yet when given the opportunity. Though, the truth was that even Team Happy's members were shocked about Ye Xiu. They never knew Ye Xiu could play the Knight class that skillfully.

Yu Wenzhou nodded and gave a gentle smile. But who knew what this guy was actually thinking?!

The other pros seemed to have gone back to their own conversations, but everyone knew that Ye Xiu wasn't normal. Happy was always unpredictable so they will have to be wary about them.

Tang Rou quietly chuckled as she observed from the sidelines. She reached for her smartphone and wanted to call to check up on Ye Xiu's situation.

 _You have entered Ye Xiu's voicemail. Please leave a message after the beep._

Tang Rou first thought that Ye Xiu had just forgotten to check his phone again. So, she called again.

"What's the problem?" Qiu Fei had noticed a grave expression on Tang Rou's face.

"Ye Xiu's not answering his phone…" Tang Rou couldn't help but feel worried.

"Okay, we'll head back to the hotel right now then." Qiu Fei immediately called for the others.

Team Happy quickly left the scene without further ruckus and alerting the other pro-players to let them know if they find Ye Xiu wandering about.

 _This guy! Why was he always like this?! The members in Happy collectively sighed together._

Bonus:  
"...Lao Sun, where was the hotel again?" Ye Xiu backtracked his steps for a second.  
Sun Zheping stared at him. He was seriously asking?! "Uh... the one across the street, your room number is 529."  
Ye Xiu quickly thanked him and ran off.  
Meanwhile, Sun Zheping was on his phone searching for the nearest clinic. This kid will be okay...right?


	3. Chapter 3

"He's not in the hotel?" Chen Guo exclaimed in disbelief. "Why does he have a phone if he's not going to even use it!"

"Calm down, boss." Wei Chen sat on the couch and drawled out lazily. "He'll come back here when he's finished with his rebellious phase."

Chen Guo glared at him and gritted her teeth. "Get the hell out of here and go search!"

Wei Chen didn't want to face the rage of their almighty boss alone, so he listened. "That brat, I'm blaming you. Where the hell did you run off to?"

Ye Xiu was innocent, really! A phone? He never had one so how could he answer it in the first place? He was only going to the corner store to buy a pack of cigarettes. Never would he have imagined that Happy and the pro-players were looking for him.

He crouched down and looked at the various brands. He was about to grab one when someone behind him lifted Ye Xiu up by his shirt's collar.

"…" Ye Xiu felt very wronged! He turned around to see an expression that was worthy of a mafia boss.

It was Han Wenqing!

"Hey, do you mind? I-I'm choking to death right now." Ye Xiu said helplessly, he had no energy left to struggle. Why was Tyranny so obsessed with building muscles? Gamers shouldn't be this fit!

Han Wenqing didn't respond and simply released his grasp. "Your team is looking for you." He stared at what Ye Xiu was holding onto. "Put that back and let's go."

"What?"

"A professional player shouldn't be smoking." He said with such intensity that even Ye Xiu was a bit taken aback.

Ye Xiu sighed and gave in. He couldn't deny it and then again, he didn't have much of a craving for some reason. He just wanted some time alone but instead got this old guy's attention.

He silently followed behind Lao Han, but he didn't expect the entire F4 group of Tyranny to be camping outside of the corner store.

"Wow, he really was here." Zhang Jiale pulled down his face mask and spoke up, "Your team is going crazy right about now."

"Why? I only went out to go buy something." Did he have no freedom in this world?

"You didn't answer your phone." Zhang Xinjie explained and looked at his watch, "We should head back, or else we'll be late for dinner."

A phone? He didn't find one in his pockets. He didn't like using them anyways, so it didn't matter.

"Oh, I probably lost my phone somewhere." Ye Xiu gave a half-hearted answer and didn't push the topic any further.

Tyranny's F4 glanced at each other. Shouldn't this guy be more concerned? No wonder Happy was so worried about him. Tyranny's first impression of Ye Xiu ended up being a naïve and clueless boy. Happy sure does like recruiting unique people.

They didn't voice out these thoughts and sometimes it was better for Ye Xiu to be ignorant. He didn't need to know that Zhang Jiale was comparing him to Steamed Bun.

"Well, let's head back to the hotel. I'll give them a call right now." Lin Jingyan took out his phone.

"How did you even find me?" Ye Xiu looked to Han Wenqing and asked curiously.

"Instinct." Han Wenqing answered sternly.

 _Instinct, my ass! Are you a beast or something?!_

* * *

Four grown men equipped with sunglasses and disguises were all waiting for a taxi. Tyranny jackets billowed behind their backs and one innocent rookie was trapped in the middle.

Ye Xiu could hear the whispers from the people passing by. He hoped that the taxi would get here soon. He wasn't sure if he was scared more of the cops accidentally being called or their flimsy disguises being found out.

"Is that boy in trouble, mom?" A girl whispered loudly to her mom. The mother shushed her daughter and told her not to make eye contact with them.

On the way back, there was an awkward silence. Ye Xiu didn't know how to interact with these people without them getting suspicious. They were supposedly strangers right now. So, he had kept quiet and only answered when prompted to.

"You're very skilled." Zhang Jiale complimented Ye Xiu at first. "I heard from Lao Fang that the Knight's not even your main class."

"Yep. That's true." Ye Xiu responded simply.

Zhang Jiale wanted to ask about it more, but he didn't think Ye Xiu would give him a straightforward answer. So, he changed topics, "Thanks for helping out Da Sun. I heard from him that you recommended a doctor who could completely heal his wrist."

Ye Xiu nodded but inside he was not sure what to make out of this. Ye Xiu only knew two methods where he could contact a doctor of that caliber.

The first was through his father…but then that had to mean the previous owner of this body had a connection with the Ye Group too? Could there be such a coincidence? The second method was through Tang Rou's father. In his opinion, that was much more likely. But there was no way Tang Rou's father was that charitable. Sun Zheping's family was rich but…something didn't seem to match up.

"Ye Xiu? We've arrived. I think you should come out or your boss is going to snap." Lin Jingyan called out to him.

Ye Xiu could hear Chen Guo's vengeful cries from inside the car. He sighed and got out of the car only to have someone crushing him with a hug.

"Sorry…" He softly comforted the enraged BOSS. His ribs felt like they were going to crack at any point.

"You brat! You have a phone for a reason." Chen Guo scolded him.

"I lost it." Ye Xiu admitted again without hesitation.

"Ugh, I can't deal with you. Even when you were a kid, you were a pain to deal with. Why am I still reacting even now?!" Chen Guo released her death grip and stomped back to the hotel.

"Haha…" Ye Xiu had quietly stored that piece of information in his head. Slowly, the pieces of the puzzle were falling into his hands.

The members in Happy quickly thanked the pro-league members for their time and apologized for the ruckus. The MVPs for today was Tyranny and Chen Guo promised to invite everyone out for dinner the next day.

Meanwhile, Ye Xiu received the longest lecture as a punishment for worrying them. Surprisingly, Team Happy seemed to be excited to participate in this.

Why did even Mo Fan join in?! Wasn't this OOC?! He couldn't help but feel shivers up his spine.

When Ye Xiu was finally released from the hell that was Happy, he had gotten out a notebook. Instead of writing down an enemy guild member's death toll this time, he was quietly taking notes on the differences between these two worlds.

Bonus:  
"I guess being young isn't that great either." Ye Xiu missed teasing and mocking his opponents. He almost had to call Lao Han, senior...  
That just didn't sit well with him.  
Someone take him back so he can tease Zhang Jiale about being forever second. Please!


	4. Chapter 4

It was day two of the All-Star Weekend. It was also a time where Glory had the least players online because everyone gathered to watch the gods play. Ye Xiu didn't care for that so he adamantly stated that it was the best time to snatch some wild bosses while the guilds were distracted.

Ye Xiu and Steamed Bun were hiding, tucked in a small corner at the backstage. Ye Xiu was armed with a laptop and apparently his actual account card. It was another familiar name to him: _Let there be Light_.

…

Well, at least it was a Battle Mage. There wasn't anything special about the account, it just had a basic set of level 70 orange tier equipment.

Ye Xiu was about to be content with this for now until he looked over to Steamed Bun who was sitting beside him this time. Steamed Bun was helping because he didn't have anything else better to do. The blond was determined to assist Little Boss on his mission to wreak havoc in the Heavenly Domain server.

"I don't see you online?" Ye Xiu scrolled through his friend's list and saw that Steamed Bun Invasion was grayed out.

"Oh! I'm using Lord Grim this time." Steamed Bun cheerfully replied.

"…"

"?" His laptop slipped from his lap with a crash _. What the fuck_?! What kind of world was this?!

"Little Boss?! Are you okay?" Steamed Bun got up and was prepared for anything. He posed as if there was going to be a brawl happening right there and then.

"I'm fine. Is Lord Grim your main account?" What exactly happened in this world that screwed up everything this much. For a moment, he imagined Steamed Bun and Su Muqiu interacting and it just seemed like a nightmare. How would that even work?

"Huh? Of course not, I'm a brawler." Steamed Bun was confused.

"Then, who uses Lord Grim?"

"No one, it's an open account we have at Happy! Weren't you the one who got us these account cards last week?"

"I…guess I did then." Ye Xiu muttered under his breath. No use in questioning why. He wouldn't even blink if he saw pigs fly today.

"Little Boss…do you want to use it? Lord Grim can use so many skills but they're all low level. I think it was called an unspecialized class. The weapon is weird though! It's an umbrella and if I smash the right buttons it switches to a gun." Steamed Bun explained seriously.

"Sure, but you can use it this time. I'll teach you." Ye Xiu weakly offered. He wouldn't deny a person needing help.

"Wow! As expected of Little Boss, you know everything."

"Alright, for now, just go by your instinct. You learn best by experience." Ye Xiu said with a smile. This was what he had learned whenever he tried to teach Steamed Bun. He didn't understand him even in his original world. What made him think that he could now?! The best way is to provide simple corrections and advice during combat. There was no use to try and talk theory to this guy. He wasn't Luo Ji, a national treasure.

"Of course!" Steamed Bun was completely ignorant to rookie Ye Xiu's thoughts.

"Let's go steal a wild BOSS now." Ye Xiu said indicating that it was time to focus. Rare materials were everything.

Ye Xiu wasn't sure if he should be amazed by Steamed Bun's playstyle with the unspecialized class. There were brilliant moves and then there were some that made Ye Xiu want to throw a brick at him. Meanwhile, Steamed Bun was having the time of his life, stealing wild bosses with Little Boss was always exciting!

The rainbow-cladded mess kept jumping around which terrified the poor guild leaders who were unprepared. Who was this menace that came out of nowhere?! Ye Xiu quietly commanded behind the scenes with his battle mage and only appearing when necessary.

Soon, the wild boss fell to Happy and the four big guilds were still stunned by what had just happened. Who the heck was Lord Grim?! That rainbow abomination kept appearing everywhere! But then again, this user also made some stupid moves, so they can't be anyone great. There was no professional player that used this username. But they all agreed on one thing. Happy was a freaking pain in the ass! Can they leave them alone for once?! Stop bullying the ordinary players.

"Here you go, Little Boss!" Steamed Bun cheerfully gave Lord Grim to Ye Xiu. "I'll go back to being Steamed Bun Invasion. But let me play with Lord Grim later too! It's so much fun."

"Haha, as long as you're happy then of course." Ye Xiu chuckled. He was briefly reminded of that time when he chatted with Wei Chen about who was a suitable candidate to play Lord Grim.

"You two, what are you doing over here?" An Wenyi was passing by and saw these two kids neglecting their tasks. Happy was the host for this year's All-Star Weekend and these two slackers were trying to hide.

"Just stole a wild boss, what's wrong?" The _rookie_ asked as if nothing was wrong.

An Wenyi coldly ordered, "Ye Xiu, I forgot to inform you. You'll be attending the dinner later tonight. Don't you dare think of escaping."

 _Xiao An, why are you so cold to me? What did I ever do to you?_

But in reality, An Wenyi was the one who was about to call the police moments after Ye Xiu went missing. It was the most logically thing to do, that was what Wenyi believed.

"I'll go!" Ye Xiu answered decisively.

"Good." An Wenyi patted Ye Xiu on the head and then left for his duties.

Ye Xiu had a grim expression on his face and stayed silent.

"What's the matter, Little Boss?" Steamed Bun asked innocently.

"I just thought of a new training regime for clerics. I'm sure it'll help out An Wenyi a lot when we get back."

This was all to make Happy stronger. Then, why did Steamed Bun feel a sense of fear when he heard it from Little Boss?!

* * *

Ye Xiu really wasn't against going out and having dinner with the pro-players. Though, it was a little awkward for Ye Xiu because he was a stranger to everyone here while Ye Xiu knew everything about them!

Though, this wasn't the biggest issue. Why exactly was this rookie sitting with Blue Rain's members? Not to mention, out of all people, Huang Shaotian was the one sitting in front of him. Ten minutes had already passed, and this guy was still rambling on. Little did they know, Ye Xiu had already developed an immunity to this. But that didn't stop him from shooting a glare at Team Happy's table. Team Happy avoided his gaze and minded their own business. This arrangement was on purpose and he knew it.

"Hey hey, are you listening to me? Why do I feel like you're ignoring me?! Xiao Xiu, I heard you play a battle mage as your main class! But really, why that class out of all of them? I'm sick of playing against battle mages. Do you look up to Old Ye or something? I hope you don't because he's cold to everyone except for the Su siblings."

"Is that so?" Ye Xiu glanced over to their booth. He chuckled, Ye Qiu did have an aura of a CEO even when he's a pro-player.

"Oh? What's so funny? Ah, well that doesn't matter—" Huang Shaotian was about to keep speaking until his mouth got shoved with a bun.

"Eat that, and be quiet for a minute or two, okay?" Screw seniority, nothing matters more than his own sanity right now.

Huang Shaotian nodded and sulked as he ate the bun. The Blue Rain team was impressed that the rookie from Happy could suppress the chatterbox this easily.

Yu Wenzhou smiled and decided that this was a good opportunity to chat with Ye Xiu. But before he could say anything, Ye Xiu placed a dish in front of him.

Blue Rain's captain stared at it blankly.

"You like white-sliced chicken, don't you?" Ye Xiu was confused at Wenzhou's reaction.

Ye Xiu didn't realize that when he had helped selected dishes for everyone; he had subconsciously picked out the preferences of each team.

"Yes…it's my favorite. How did you know?" Wenzhou asked cautiously.

 _How did he know…? Shit, he shouldn't! Why was being a rookie so difficult?_

"Blue Rain's homepage." Ye Xiu answered calmly and patted himself on the back for remembering. Fans always wanted to know their favorite god's preferences. But of course, his profile back when he was in Excellent Era was filled with _?_ instead.

"Ah…" Yu Wenzhou made a sound of acknowledgement. But who exactly would remember such small details about a player unless they were…a fan?

That was the only thing Wenzhou could think of because the only other possibility was a friend. He looked at Ye Xiu and shook his head. That was impossible.

"Rookie! Do you dare 1vs1 me?!" Huang Shaotian had impressively come back to life. This rookie was too bold and needed to be taught a lesson.

"This rookie doesn't dare." Ye Xiu replied without any interest.

"You! I get paid 100k per match and y-you actually!" Huang Shaotian was not expecting this kid to reject him. He was very unhappy.

Huang Shaotian stood up abruptly and at this very moment Wang Jiexi was passing by. Wang Jiexi tried to dodge when he saw the blond. But he had lost his footing because Huang Shaotian had ended up crashing right into him.

Ye Xiu was quick on his feet and supported Wang Jiexi before he fell. He breathed a sigh of relief, "Big-Eyed Wang! You should be careful whenever you see this hazard called Huang Shaotian."

Big-Eyed Wang…?

Did this rookie just call the captain, the magician of Tiny Herb that?!

Everyone fell silent and Huang Shaotian was left to suffer quietly on the ground.

 _Ah…habits really are a terrifying thing._

Ye Xiu resigned to his death-seeking tendencies. Habits weren't something he could easily change about himself after all.


	5. Chapter 5

"…"

 _Ah…I want to go home._

Anything was better than being stuck in this situation. Ye Xiu took a moment to gather himself together and prepared for the worst-case scenario.

"Oh, your eyes are perfectly normal now! I must have been mistaken." Ye Xiu patted Wang Jiexi on the shoulder and walked shamelessly back to his seat. He sat down gracefully and sipped his tea.

Whispers were exchanged between the pro-players and they were all aimed at rookie Ye Xiu. Gossip all they want, Ye Xiu was used to attracting aggro. This was absolutely nothing to him!

"Senior, aren't you going to get back up? The floor's cold and dirty." Ye Xiu looked down at Shaotian in concern. But his hands were telling a different story as he piled Huang Shaotian's plate with okra.

Meanwhile, Wang Jiexi was left alone, and he could only helplessly return to his table. How long had it been since he heard that nickname? He was usually the one who took people by surprise but rarely was it the other way around. Other than that, Wang Jiexi wasn't sure what to think of this rookie.

 _Ye Xiu…_

What an interesting kid, but he really needs to fix that crude way of speech.

Though, Tiny Herb's members were very aggrieved! How dare this rookie insult their captain?! But then again, it seemed their captain wasn't bothered by it at all. As expected of their captain, he was much more mature! Though, that didn't mean they wouldn't grumble about this.

"Hey! Apologize to Captain Wang!" Xiao Yun, a rookie battlemage in Tiny Herb slammed his hand on the table.

"Hmm?" Ye Xiu lazily glanced up, "Ah, my apologies. Captain Wang's eyes are fine, very unique!"

"You!"

"Why won't you believe me? Look at my sincere eyes." Ye Xiu smiled and couldn't help but tease him.

...

"Holy shit! Lao Fang, that's disgusting!" Fang Rui was taken by surprise by Ye Xiu's remark and spat out his drink.

Wei Chen, the victim had taken a direct hit.

Wei Chen cursed, he was never going to sit in front of Fang Rui again. He scowled at Ye Xiu. That damn kid, he's a walking disaster, attracting trouble everywhere.

Chen Guo was also at her wit's end and made her way to Blue Rain's table. Ye Xiu with his keen eyes noticed that Boss Chen was at an enraged state, so he quickly switched topics.

"Senior, I think I'll accept your request to 1vs1. It would be rude to turn down a senior's offer." Ye Xiu tuned out Xiao Yun and turned his attention to Shaotian.

"Oh! Now you realize the benefits by fighting against me. Very well, this senior will give you lots of advice." Moments before Huang Shaotian was depressed because his plate was contaminated with okra. He had brilliantly sprung back to life again. Huang Shaotian grinned mercilessly, "Hahaha, don't cry if you lose though."

"Don't worry, I won't." Ye Xiu smirked in response.

However, this didn't stop the enraged Boss Chen. Her hand tightly grasped on Ye Xiu's shoulder. "Finish your dinner before playing Glory."

Ye Xiu sighed in defeat.

Xiao Yun was also left ignored and quietly walked back to Tiny Herb's table. That rookie thought he had a chance against the sword saint?! What a joke.

* * *

"Lao Sun, what's going on with your rookie? He's out of control." Zhang Jiale came to Happy's table to chat with Sun Zheping.

"Who knows? He's always been like that since I've first met him."

"Is that so? I haven't seen anyone gaining Tiny Herb and Blue Rain's interest this fast. What a feat." Zhang Jiale laughed, "Well, there's no doubt that Ye Xiu is strong. He was able to fight Lao Su evenly. Now, how well will he do against Huang Shaotian? That will be interesting to see."

* * *

Dinner quickly ended because everyone wanted to see the next event. Glory in the end was what interested these people the most.

 **Huang Shaotian vs. Rookie Ye Xiu**

Battle Mage or Unspecialized, Ye Xiu was very troubled. He wasn't sure whether to show this trump card this quickly. But then again, he wanted to vent out his frustrations so…Lord Grim it was. He felt sorry for Huang Shaotian but it'll be a fruitful experience for this annoying chatterbox.

This wasn't vengeance for his poor ears. Of course, that wasn't it.

The two players then loaded up their characters and Lord Grim appeared in all his glory.

"What?" Chen Guo was the first to react. "Ye Xiu, why aren't you playing your main class?"

"What the fuck? Is he underestimating Huang Shao?!" Blue Rain's members cried out. They were very offended!

"Hmm…" Su Muqiu was also here with Ye Qiu and Su Mucheng.

Could it be that this Ye Xiu is also experienced with all classes?

Su Muqiu glanced over at Ye Qiu. The other narrowed his cold gaze on the rookie but remained still.

"Hmm, that's a nice username." Su Mucheng complimented, "Lord Grim (Jūn Mò Xiào)."

Ye Xiu threw an awkward glance and wasn't sure what to say to that.

 _You're the one who named him!_

Huang Shaotian wanted to overwhelm this rookie with his trash-talk! There was no way that Ye Xiu wasn't nervous with all these pro-players observing their match. To be honest, he was a bit frustrated that Ye Xiu didn't bring out his Battle Mage. But well it didn't matter because Huang Shaotian will force it out of him.

The match quickly began and Ye Xiu charged forth to the center. He had chosen a map that didn't have any obstacles. It was a map made for quick matches. Huang Shaotian accepted this challenge and went forward without hesitation. But of course, he started to trash-talk and spam the voice chat.

"Huh? Wait a second, what class is Ye Xiu using?" Someone yelled out.

"This is…" Yu Wenzhou's gaze lingered on the username for a moment and explained, "He's using the unspecialized class."

Unspecialized class? But wasn't that outdated years ago? How did they get past the level 50 barrier?

The pro-players didn't keep with the forums in the online game. So, they didn't know that there was a minor uproar when Lord Grim had entered Heavenly Domain at level 50 awhile ago.

"W-Why does he have that weapon?" Su Mucheng couldn't believe what she was seeing. She looked at her brother anxiously. "Brother, that weapon…wasn't it yours?"

Didn't you make it for him?

"…" Su Muqiu couldn't hear his sister. His eyes were glued to the screen, to the character who was using the Myriad Manifestation Umbrella. There were so many things he wanted to ask but no words came out.

Ye Qiu was brimming with anger. He was moments away from tearing this imposter away from the computer. But a strong grip prevented him from doing so. Su Muqiu shook his head and told him to wait. At least, wait till the match was over. They would have all the time in the world to ask.

* * *

No one had to wait long for the match's results.

Ye Xiu was merciless to his opponent and quickly caught Huang Shaotian off-guard. Troubling Rain was combo-ed to death and Shaotian couldn't find any openings at all during the match. At this very moment, Ye Xiu confirmed that the pro-players of this world were weaker than his original world. But, why was this the case? Did he have that much of an impact in Glory? Well, there was no use in worrying about that now.

He stood up and faced the shell-shocked audience.

Huang Shaotian…lost? He lost in under two minutes? What the hell was that weapon? These were the questions that everyone wanted to ask.

"Well, I'm sure that everyone has a lot to ask our rookie. But I'm sure he's very tired right now! So, I think we'll be leaving now." Chen Guo dragged Ye Xiu by the collar and Happy quickly made their escape before anyone could stop them.

"Well…" Xiao Shiqin was the first to speak up amidst the awkward silence, "Did Huang Shaotian take a recording of the match?"

"I think Huang Shao hasn't recovered yet." Lu Hanwen poked Huang Shaotian, "Ah…I think his soul is coming out. Captain! Captain!"


	6. Chapter 6

Just wanted to say thanks everyone for the reviews!

* * *

Ye Xiu was prepared to face an onslaught of questions from his team. But that didn't happen, everyone was strangely quiet on the way back.

The silence was finally broken by Boss Chen when they arrived at Ye Xiu's hotel room.

"Ye Xiu, we're going to wait for you. I've known you for a long time but now that I think about it. We really don't know much about you, not even the you who plays Glory." Chen Guo spoke with a hint of loneliness.

"…"

"Hm…Lord Grim, it seems like we'll be winning the championships this year too!" Fang Rui tried to clear the tension in the air.

"Of course." Tang Rou replied with unwavering confidence.

"I'm pretty sure the other teams are panicking by now." Wei Chen chuckled evilly.

"L-Let me look at Lord Grim later!" Luo Ji was very interested in how Lord Grim and the umbrella worked.

"Hahaha, I can tell you about Lord Grim. I've used him too!" Steamed Bun proudly exclaimed.

"Hey! I wasn't even asking you." Luo Ji complained.

"If you need anything, please tell me Xiao Xiu." Yifan said with a gentle smile.

An Wenyi and Mo Fan just quietly observed from the sidelines.

"Alright, it's getting late. Get some sleep, we still have one more day of All-Stars!" Qiu Fei clapped his hands to get everyone's attention. "Xiao Xiu, we're here for you. That's all I wanted to say."

When everyone had finally left, Ye Xiu went into his room and leaned against the door. He placed his hand over his eyes and sighed.

He needed to find out what's going on in this strange world. He didn't say anything because Ye Xiu knew that even if he told the truth, nobody would believe him. He had already experienced that bitterness once when he tried telling Boss Chen about his real identity. He wasn't going to waste his breath.

 _Where was his original body in this world?_

 _Who exactly is the owner of the body he's currently possessing? Where are they now and why is their personality so similar to mine?_

 _What exactly happened to him after the celebration party? Ye Xiu couldn't recall anything after that. Could I have possibly…_

When did this become a mystery novel? Ye Xiu laughed bitterly. He had only wanted to play Glory, but he couldn't live peacefully if he didn't solve this.

There was no use dwelling on it, so Ye Xiu decided to get some sleep. Tomorrow, he'll go find Ye Qiu to see if he knows anything.

* * *

"Shaotian, we're going back. Are you done sulking yet?" Yu Wenzhou sighed. This guy was sometimes such a pain in the ass!

"Thanks for the recording and testing the waters for us." Some pro-players sarcastically thanked the Sword Saint.

"You try fighting against that kid! The fuck was up with his weapon? Sword? Gun? It can even use mechanical seeker. That's a cheat!" Huang Shaotian was not going to be reduced to cannon fodder!

"Hm…a true unspecialized perhaps…" Yu Wenzhou said. "He'll be a tough opponent this season."

"It does seem so. Anyways, we'll be heading back now." Zhang Xinjie had a strict schedule to adhere to.

Zhang Jiale sighed, this was the only part about Tyranny which he disliked. He wanted some flexibility with his life! "See you guys tomorrow then."

Han Wenqing gave a stern nod and his eyes had a hint of fire in them. He looked forward to fighting against Lord Grim.

…

"Yingjie, we're going back to study the recording." Wang Jiexi was impressed with Ye Xiu's skill, but this person was an opponent in the end.

"Yes, captain!" Yingjie was eager to learn. He was a bit happy for Yifan too! Ye Xiu was the most powerful rookie he had ever seen. Happy was truly fortunate.

"…" Zhou Zekai looked at Jiang Botao.

"Everyone, let's go too." Jiang Botao said to Samsara's members. "Tonight, has been quite eventful. Happy will surely be a terrifying opponent this year too."

"Vice-captain, were those your words or the captain's?" Du Ming asked jokingly. He was trying to court death.

Jiang Botao flashed a smile that immediately shut him up.

* * *

Most teams had already left the restaurant. But this wasn't the case for Excellent Era.

Excellent Era's members couldn't help but feel anxious when looking at their top three players. Their expressions were oddly depressed.

"Captain…?" He Ming asked hesitantly.

"You guys head back to the hotel first." Su Muqiu told the team.

"Alright, we'll be leaving first then." The team respectfully bid their farewells and left.

"Brother, that weapon…" Su Mucheng looked at the two of them. "That was the Myriad Manifestation Umbrella you created for him, right?'

"Yeah, I'm not sure why Happy's Ye Xiu has it though." Su Muqiu paused, "I left it with him, so nobody should know about it except for us."

"When he was playing against Huang Shaotian, I remembered something. I've seen that rookie with my father before." Ye Qiu spoke with a hint of anger, "Haha, I can't believe my father would do this. A replacement?! How dare he!"

"Ye Qiu, calm down. I think you should try talking to Ye Xiu first to get an explanation. I don't think he's a bad person." Su Muqiu said with finality. He was shaken up by this too. At first, Muqiu only thought that this Ye Xiu slightly resembled his old friend and shared the same name. It wasn't anything out of the ordinary. But now? He wasn't sure what to believe.

"Fine." Ye Qiu didn't bother arguing.

"Let's just go back for tonight." Su Mucheng forced a smile and tightly grasped Ye Qiu and Muqiu's hand.

* * *

Ye Xiu couldn't sleep well that night.

He woke up restless and looked over to check the time. It was 3:00 am, and he couldn't get back to sleep. He decided to take a walk and buy a pack of cigarettes. Last time, he was blocked by Lao Han but there shouldn't be anyone else up at this time, right?

He was very wrong.

Zhou Zekai out of all people was standing in front of the vending machine at the hotel lobby. He seemed to be searching for something and Ye Xiu felt a sense of déjà vu. He had seen this happening before in his original world.

He approached Zhou Zekai helplessly and took out his wallet. Before Zhou Zekai could say anything, Ye Xiu had already bought a drink.

"Here, you left your wallet behind in your room?" Ye Xiu placed the warm drink in Zhou Zekai's hands.

"…" Zhou Zekai looked surprised and his gaze lowered. It seemed like he wanted to say something, but the words wouldn't come out.

"No need to thank me, I'll be going now." Ye Xiu smiled gently. It seems like everyone's personality really was the same in this world. That was comforting to know.

"Thank…" Zhou Zekai looked up but saw that Ye Xiu had already left. He looked at the drink Ye Xiu got for him and paused.

 _It was his favorite drink too. A coincidence? But why did this person know what he was thinking?_

Meanwhile, Ye Xiu was dumbfounded when he returned to his room. He had forgotten his original purpose. Tired and without anything to smoke, he fell onto his bed and slept away his sorrows.

* * *

The third day of All-Star Weekend was surprisingly quite tame. Nothing out of the ordinary had happened and for once, everything was going well. The major teams were divided up:

Team A - Excellent Era, Blue Rain, Samsara

vs.

Team B -Tyranny, Happy, Tiny Herb

In this match, clerics existed, and it was an ordinary scrimmage. It was nothing like the chaotic, no-cleric'd match that Ye Xiu had initiated in his original world.

It ended with Team B's win and the All-Star weekend had finally ended. It felt a bit anti-climactic and dull, but this was the least of Ye Xiu's worries.

He had a mission and it seemed that Ye Qiu had similar intentions too.

It was already evening and Ye Xiu was walking to an internet café. He wasn't surprised to see Ye Qiu waiting for him.

"I was looking for you too." Ye Xiu said.

"Follow me." Ye Qiu didn't bother greeting Ye Xiu and looked at him with disgust.

"Alright."

They arrived at a park and the two stood beneath the lamppost. Ye Qiu was the first to start, "Now that I look closely, you don't resemble him at all."

"…Who?"

"You can stop with your act, I saw you with my father before. Don't think highly of yourself, you're just a replacement."

"?"

"How much did he pay you to get you to replace my brother? I actually can't believe it, he must be getting senile." Ye Qiu laughed crazily.

 _What is this drama-like setting?! This is so cliché, it was on par with Chu Yunxiu's recommendations._

"Excuse me?" Ye Xiu was very offended. But this was a great opportunity to ask. "Your brother? Did something happen to him?"

"…" Ye Qiu stopped laughing and stared at him. "You don't know?"

Ye Xiu nodded.

Ye Qiu looked up to the starless sky. "My twin brother had the same name as you."

"…"

"Later, he died." Ye Qiu said emotionlessly. "He ran away from home, only to be killed before he could fulfill his dream."


	7. Chapter 7

_Ah, so that's where my actual body went. It's very nice to know that it's currently six feet under the ground._

Ye Qiu said impatiently, "Why aren't you saying anything? Whatever, this has nothing to do with you, just never appear in front of me again."

Ye Xiu decided he needed to teach his little brother a lesson. He took a few steps back for safety, "Hey! What do you think is a good name for a dog? Wilfred or…perhaps Little Spot?"

…

Ye Qiu was stunned. W-What did this kid just say?! Little Spot…That was his personal nickname for his family's dog and only his twin brother knew about it. There was no way his father would have known. He felt his head spinning. "No way…you can't be, he's dead!"

There was no answer and Ye Qiu panicked. He looked up, but Ye Xiu wasn't there anymore.

Of course, Ye Xiu had already escaped from the scene. He was afraid that Ye Qiu would beat him up, so it was for his personal safety. After all, his little brother was very annoying when he's angry.

* * *

"Xiao Xiu, why exactly are you in my room?" Fang Rui was happy that Ye Xiu came to visit but this guy was too shameless! Ye Xiu was already on the bed and getting ready to sleep.

"Don't be noisy, there's a very scary person looking for me right now. So, my room isn't safe."

"What? Who?" Fang Rui questioned.

"Excellent Era's Ye Qiu, scared now?" Ye Xiu laughed.

"What the fuck did you do to him?!" Fang Rui had cracked open the door to peek across the hall. Indeed, a terrifying god stood outside Ye Xiu's room. He could even see the veins popping out of Ye Qiu's forehead.

"We…chatted about dogs?"

"Dogs? Ah, I think he's crying now." Fang Rui was beginning to have fun with this.

"Stop being a stalker and go to sleep." Ye Xiu chided.

"Excuse me? I can't believe you're this rude, I'm your senior!" Fang Rui was a good senior though. He'll go with Xiao Xiu's whims just this once.

"Good night." Fang Rui was on the sofa with some blankets. But he didn't hear a response.

This little shit! He's already asleep?!

The next morning, Fang Rui found himself on the bed. He jolted awake and there was no sign of Ye Xiu. There was only a note left on the bedside table.

 _You fell off the sofa, sorry for taking up the bed last night!_

 _\- Rookie Ye Xiu_

The blankets were neatly folded up and were placed on the sofa.

"This rookie really is…" Fang Rui shook his head and chuckled, this guy never fails at surprising him.

* * *

Team Happy was finally back in action.

"Alright, today we will be starting up training again. We still have the regular season and of course, we're aiming for the championships." Qiu Fei started, "Place your luggage in your rooms and we'll start the daily regime immediately."

Ye Xiu asked Steamed Bun seriously, "Where's my room?"

"Hmm?! It's the room next to our captain's. But...Little Boss, don't you usually go back to your apartment?"

"Oh, then where's that?" Ye Xiu casually asked. Good thing he asked Steamed Bun, he'll be taken to a hospital otherwise.

"Huh…? Little Boss, are you okay? It's near the shopping district here. It's the apartment beside t-"

"The florist shop…" Ye Xiu unconsciously finished his sentence.

"Yeah! So, you do remember. I was afraid that you hit your head somewhere and lost your memories."

"T-Tell everyone that I'll be stepping out for a second. It's important." Ye Xiu had already left before Steamed Bun could answer.

"Did Little Boss forget something?" Steamed Bun bit his meat bun and shrugged. "Ah! He forgot to put away his luggage!"

There was only one apartment that Ye Xiu remembered living in which was located there. But that was in his original world… It also held his most precious and happiest memories.

He never thought he would return here ever again. Ye Xiu quivered when he took out the key from his pocket and unlocked the apartment room.

 _It was like nothing had changed ever since that day._

It was exactly how Ye Xiu remembered it, an exact replica of his past. In the center of the room, there was a table that looked out of place as if someone made sure Ye Xiu would see it.

Lying on the table were a stack of novels and a sticky note on top of it.

Ye Xiu shivered when he picked up the first volume and gazed at the note. He felt tears welling up in the corner of his eyes.

 _Ah, so that's how it is. It was you all along._


End file.
